No Ace of Cakes, but sure was Sweet fun!

Finally sat down with the kiddos and had some fun trying out their new "Girl Gourmet-  Ace of Cakes" kit that they got as a gift from a friend of mine. She of course is talented enough that she makes real cakes, so it was a perfect and thoughtful gift coming from her. Thanks Cassy! 

After fumbling with the directions & some setup... we were good to go! Of course it only came with ONE mixing bowl so I gave them each their own...ahem, three kids who want everything equal :/

Just add water to the packets... easy enough. Right?

Jerm mixing & eating the blue fondant.

Lesseya preparing the batter to bake. Well actually, more like microwave for 30 seconds :)

 This was our FIRST attempt at laying the fondant. Of course it kept crumbling.

So we kept trying to save it with more water...

and then more flour when it got too gooey...

and then more water... 

then more flour... 

Yeah... it didnt work out! lol

Tada... Our clumpy, holey fondant. {We just blame it on Jeremiah, hehe}

So after lots of laughs and getting lil Jerm off to bed, we decided to go for it again...

And finally... our better, our smoother, our less clumpy, less holey creation :)

We decided it looks more like two funky decorated marshmallows, but proud regardless...

Makaila said, "Good thing its not somebody's wedding cake!"

 And on that note....

...it was time to taste....

 

Uh, yeah... good thing it wasn't somebody's ANYTHING... cuz it tasted like play dough, haha!

But by far... a very fun time with the kiddos!

I want to try again :)

Rustic-Vintage Wedding Invites

I recently had the pleasure of creating these unique & fun wedding invitations for my cousin, Sarah and her fiance Brian. She is putting together a classy and casual wedding that will include a touch of whimsy. It truly will be fun and memorable event that represents them as a couple.

She requested invites that would coordinate with her rustic-vintage inspired theme and that would includ a sepia version of one of her engagement photos. I got hold of her vision and knew I wanted to create something that was elegant but light and fun.... and something that would give recipients a sweet, small taste of what is to come.

Drawing inspiration from old Type Posters that were used in the Victorian era and for vintage circus' I knew Typography was the way to go! I used varying fonts to reflect the eclectic & vintage elements of her wedding. I utilized a few of the wonderful free fonts over at KevinandAmanda.com

I chose three colors to use consistently throughout the design to tie the eclectic pieces together. The modern twist to this vintage & rustic theme is the color scheme: soft gray-blue, teal & cream are the main colors. However, rich chocolate browns and deep muted reds are being used as pops of color and complete the modern color palette. Blues and chocolate were my delicious choices.

My personal favorite touch is the hidden "S & B" that I used as a ribbon detail behind their photo ;)

Family fun Birthday dinner

 This past week was my Husband's Birthday. I won't tell how old he is (aahem, 31). He chose a favorite lil spot of ours called Rocky Cola Cafe. The food is delicious, the atmosphere is fun, & the kids love it. We also love the fact that kids eat free everyday of the week with any adult meal! Music to my ears for our family of five :) 

We enjoyed a nice dinner and I caught some cute, humble shots while we were out. I got inspired by the artsy, vintage backdrop. I think I may have to return for a fun creative session soon!

 The restaurant is located in Uptown Whittier. I just love the quaint, spirited streets all lit up for the holidays!

To keep the kids busy until meals arrived, we indulged in the crayons. However, coloring is sooo last year. We built with them instead!

  Makaila was my little muse. She loves to take pictures like Mommy. So I try to get snapshots of her in her element often. Maybe for her biography in her future published work? ;)

Jeremiah- Little guys can do big things too!

 

We recently had an experience which gave us a powerful testimony within our family and I just had to share with you all. Jeremiah was hospitalized, unexpectedly to us, mid last week. He is now home and we give all glory to God! We knew that Jeremiah was more than a conqueror. Knowing that we knew that his healing was not to be the only victory, but that He would leave an anointing on the whole unit he was in and on others! Just like his favorite bible character, David, lil guys can do big things too!

I transcribed the details of this by email to our family and friends...

Saturday Morning 12/04/2010:

I just wanted to update you all who didn't know... As of Thursday 12/02/10 Jeremiah has been admitted to the hospital due to what doctors call Croup. It's a respiratory condition that can affect young children and has caused him to have an awful sounding cough and breathing issues. 

He started with the distinct cough Wednesday night. The next afternoon we brought him to the ER when he got a 104.5 fever and struggled breathing normally. He is now in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Kaiser Bellflower. His condition improved overall from when he initially came in, but with it being a respiratory condition his stats fluctuate throughout the day.

We are thankful for and taking full advantage of all care & procedures available to him. However, we know his full healing as well as our faith are in Our Mighty God & great Physician. He will come out of this whole & strong. This sickness in not allowed to remain in his body! Greater is he that created life and is in Jeremiah, than any sickness in this world! 

He will be evaluated for release today. Please join your faith with us not only for his release, but for full healing and correction when when get him home and care for him there.
 
----------------------------------

UPDATE Saturday Afternoon 12/04/2010:

The doctor gave me the news that they may have found something in Jeremiah's blood culture and will confirm later in the day. I come against this in JESUS NAME! 

UPDATE Saturday Evening 12/04/2010:

The lab confirmed a bacteria was found in Jeremiah's blood stream through a blood culture. They say it came back as Staphylococcus. For that he would need to be treated IN the hospital for an additional 10 days. Also this bacteria usually causes complications such as Sepsis which is a condition that can cause organ dysfunction and other serious respiratory issues. The Blood Infection Specialist ordered re-test. They ran second tests to confirm or check for contaminate as this is very serious. The test will take 24-48 hours to determine results. We expect to hear word late Sunday. The Dr. explained that the possibility that this is a contaminate (a false result at first reading) is rare when this specific bacteria is found as it hardly ever came up accidentally.
 

UPDATE Sunday Afternoon 12/05/2010:Earlier than expected the Dr. came and said his cultures came back NEGATIVE for BACTERIA as we had claimed and believed for. "It's rare, but I guess in this case it was" - Doctor
 

Jeremiah was released Sunday 12/05/2010!!!! My Jesus is real and Alive today!!!!

 ------------------------------

When this whole ordeal began, it seemed to be the results of a cold maybe flu that we were dealing with. Then the symptoms and diagnosis seemed to be coming back worse and worse. Then unexpectedly a wild card diagnosis. Yet, from beginning and while going thru, we stood on the word and our faith and claimed what we knew. We also had many others believing and joining their faith with us. We knew that as it worsened it just meant that this was a miracle that was going to glorify God in the end and prove his power. We feel blessed to have so many, including a God believing family, who supported us in faith, not only concern. And we are grateful to not only know of Jesus, but know him. And as he has shown, to know Jesus is to live in victory, bear rights as his children, have access to his power, and to be a supply to others even in trying times. He sent his word, we just received it and held on to it that he be glorified and these things turn around for our good and ultimately that it would result in the strengthening of the faith of others!

 

I love you all! Thank You for all your love, support and prayers. YOU AND I WALK IN VICTORY BECAUSE WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERERS and HEIRS TO HIS THROWN!

 

JEREMIAH, ROBERT, PRISCILLA, LESSEYA, MAKILA & SAMSON

The Hangover {snapshot of the day}

This is what happens when you raid the dog treats... Saturday morning hangover.

Robin's Chicks: Blog Giveaway

There is a fun give away going on over at a fellow Mom Blog I follow. Thanks to my over-zealousness and heap of comments there was some new clarifications to the rules :) Make sure to check that out and get your chance(s) to win a gift certificate redeemable at Boutique Designs. Lots of cute gift ideas for the holidays or anytime!

Go here to enter to win:
Robin's Chicks: Blog Giveaway: Boutique Designs: "I've got a $20 gift certificate to give away from Boutique Designs! Super cute gift ideas, everything from market totes to hair bow holders ..."

"The Janitor" {snapshot of the day}

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"Closed for cleaning. Apply if you want to help."

She's very diligent.

Cat Nap {Snap shot of the Day}

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Quiet afternoon... Slobber, snores, and flatulence :/

Back from Maternity leave & my lingo is a bit off....

I've been out of the groove the past several days... maybe weeks. I'll have to check my productivity level by percentage of clean laundry that has made it back into drawers and last blog written and let you know for sure. But the point is that I am aiming for consistency again.

The most current focus in my life has been our new dog, Samson. As if I have all the time in the world, no children, and maids to handle my home for me... I got my husband to agree with me that it was time for us to get a dog. We had been considering one since probably our last kid and had been seriously looking into it for the past year. The timing seems about right considering our family's track record for expanding. Jeremiah is 2 years old now... so that would perfectly match the age difference between he and his new pet sibling to that of Mo & Fro (the girls).

So, most of the people who know me also know that I am a bit of a cook when it comes to entering into new situations in my life. Example? Aside from common sense... I prepared a binder with instructions, information, and cute inspiration clippings to direct my support group during the hospital stay and birth of my first born in the event that I was too busy laboring to share the specifics. (I know, admittedly embarrassing for me, funny for you). So for my new passion, Samson, there was no exception to my madness.  I researched and studied how to become a good Boxer Mommy and Alpha Pack Leader in two days. I know it is not plausible... but I gained enough info to make myself feel confident enough to take Him on. It's all about mind set people ;)

Overall, I am in love. After narrowing it down to dog breed, age, and method of adding a pup to our brood, we have adopted or "rescued" a 1 1/2 year old male Boxer. Initially I thought that I wanted a perfect, new, soft boxer pup with a red bow! Yet, in the end we decided that giving a home to a well deserving dog was right for us. Online searching and dog visits were our routine for a few weeks. Long story short, we finally met Samson. He has over exceeded my high, maybe even unrealistic at the time, expectations. Nevertheless, we were blessed with abundantly more that we asked for. He is even tempered, healthy, loving, gentle, obedient, laid back, loyal, and housebroken! Dream puppy for our family. Things are settling now and I feel urged to come back from my two-week new dog owner maternity leave.

Wanna know the ironic humor of it all? You know how when you have a new baby and you accidentally find yourself cooing or talking in high pitched tones to grown adults cuz you've been doing it all day with your newborn? Just as with motherhood to human children, I find myself carrying my lingo into other areas of my life which are inappropriate. When pleased with my husband my response has been, "Good boy!" and when Jeremiah threw his body across my desk while I was trying to write this post I scold him with, "Jeremiah....Off!" and a loud clap as to startle him.

Eh, no worries.... it'll wear off soon. I hope :/

SAMSON

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